Portrait of Jeff Koons

May 15, 2018

Hirshhorn Spring Gala Celebrates the 1980s With Artist Honoree Jeff Koons
May 12 Event Rocks Out With Exclusive Performances by Artist Jennifer Rubell, Celebrity DJ Jus Ske

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden brings back the electrifying decade of MTV, Madonna and neon at its spring gala Saturday, May 12, hosting more than 300 revelers for an evening of performances and dancing. In celebration of the Hirshhorn’s current exhibition “Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s,” and its commitment to bringing the work of leading artists to Washington, the museum recognized Jeff Koons for his role in transforming contemporary art in the 1980s.

“Jeff Koons is one of the most recognized artists living today,” said Hirshhorn director Melissa Chiu. “As one of the leading figures to emerge from the 1980s, Koons’ groundbreaking work from the period features prominently in ‘Brand New.’ His role in exploring art, commerce, and marketing redefined contemporary art for the past three decades, and we’re thrilled to acknowledge his contributions to the 1980s.”

Art and culture enthusiasts discovered the Hirshhorn transformed for a late-night ’80s party, featuring a one-night-only commissioned dessert performance by artist Jennifer Rubell, custom ’80s-themed cocktails and tables of decadent vintage-inspired desserts and candy. Crowds gathered to toast Koons, ejoying Rubell’s dessert performance before cutting loose to the decade’s iconic soundtrack, spun by DJ Jus Ske.

Reflecting on the 1980s, Koons said “My generation wanted to create art that would deal with the democratization of our time. I would work with materials to democratize them, more interested in the removal of judgment and hierarchy than in any type of dialogue, and that’s so that people could experience the empowerment of art instead of feeling that they had to come to art with any sort of information. . .We were dealing with the democratization of information and ideas, and I think that’s really beautifully seen here in the work upstairs [in ‘Brand New’].”

Rubell is known for participatory installations that often use food as a medium. Past installations have invited guests to smash and eat Jeff Koons-inspired chocolate bunnies, pluck dripping walls of glazed donuts and eat their way through an interactive padded cell of cotton candy. For her first commissioned performance in Washington, “Send in the Clowns,” Rubell staged 30 professional clowns throughout Hirshhorn’s inner ring, inviting guests to join wild and wacky challenges to earn chocolate, such as spinning plates and shooting balloon arrows.

In a nod to “Brand New’s” New York roots, the museum tapped Gotham tastemaker and nightlife impresario, artist, emcee and critic DJ Jus Ske to spin the 1980s’ greatest hits. Jus Ske recently collaborated with Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, and plays regularly at venues around the world with artists and cultural brands including Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Takeshi Murakami and Gagosian.

All proceeds from the gala supported Hirshhorn’s free public programs and exhibitions, including community partnerships and educational initiatives for teens and kids ages birth-to-6. Since 2015, the Hirshhorn’s galas have raised nearly $5.5 million to support its mission to bring people, art and ideas together.

Hirshhorn Gala Co-Chairs Lisa and Josh Bernstein and Trustee Haryanto Adikoesoemo and Sintawati Ongkowijoyo were joined by Vice-Chairs Jill and Jay Bernstein, Jane and Calvin Cafritz, Steve Elmendorf, Adam and Martha Metz and Board Chair Dan Sallick and Elizabeth Miller, along with fellow Trustees Ken and Tamra Bentsen and Jill and Senator Tom Udall (NM).

Guests included artists and creatives Robin Bell, Peter Chang and Brandon Hill (No Kings Collective), Nate Lewis, Adrian Loving, Carolina Mayorga, Maggie Michael and Dan Steinhilber (past Hirshhorn gala honorees), Jonathan MonaghanSheldon Scott, Desiree Venn Frederic; collectors and gallerists Wayne and Shoshana Blank (Shoshana Wayne Gallery), Pascale and Vincent De Sarthe (De Sarthe Gallery), Isabel de la Cruz Ernst and Ricardo Ernst, Meredith Rosen (Meredith Rosen Gallery), Schwanda Rountree, Mera Rubell, and Akio Tagawa; arts leaders Kate Goodall (Halcyon), Philippa Hughes (Pink Line Project), Dorothy Kosinski (director, Phillips Collection), Virginia Shore and Tom Hardart,; former Ambassadors The Honorable Robert Gelbard and Alene Gelbard, and The Honorable Robert Blake and Sophia Blake; philanthropists and business leaders Neil and Marcy Cohen, Brad and Debra Dockser, Peter Dordal, Samia Farouki, Georgio Furioso, Jodi McLean, Bo and Kymber Menkati, Adam and Lisa Palmer and Bill and Carolyn Wolfe; and media leaders Bridget Coyne (Twitter), Clifford Hopkins (Instagram), Guy Raz (NPR), and Ari Shapiro (NPR).


About the Hirshhorn

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time––free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.


Image: Jeff Koons. Photo: Branislav Jankic